Stocking-knitting machine.



, W I GemyaP; Bosworifil G. P. BUSWORTH.

STOCKING KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4.1914. RENEWED OCT. 14.1916.

[09,255 Patented Dec. 19,1916.

G. P. BOSWORTH.

STOCKING KN'TTINB MACHiNE APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 192-1 REMWEIJ OCT i4. 1916.

1,209,255. 7M 7 W h 7 Pateniud D00. 19,1916

3 SHEETS--SHCET 2.

G. P. BOSWOHTH. STOCKING KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. l9 l4. RENEWED OCT. 14. I916- 1,209,255. Patented Dec. 19,1916.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- j George P Boswor-Zh, y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BOSWORTH, OF CENTRAL FALLS,

nnonn Ismuw, assiumun. TO nnurnnt.

MAN UFAGTURIN G COMPANY, 91? PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION Or RHODE ISLAND.

STOCKING-KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed June 4, 1914, Serial No. 843.061.

To lltl hen may concern.

Be qn that I, Gannon P. Boswonrn, citizen' 'hfthe United States, residing at Central Falls, Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Stocking-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

In another a plicution for Letters Patent of the United tates,'filed June 4, 19,14, No. 843,060, I have described a circular stocking knitting machine for making a diagonal. gore running at an inclination to the hack of the stocking from a point preceding the heel pouchto the point where the narrowings for the regular heel pouch begins. The present machine is designed to make this diagonal gore, and also what is known to the trade as the Hirnei: foot, this bein referred to in an a plication for Letters .atent f 20 the Unite States filed by me April 11,

1914, #831296,"ai1d also in an application filed by Emile Bedard, April. 11, 1914, #831,295, andconsistingi generally of the introduction into the fabric of additional widening courses beyond the point where. narrowing began, one result of which is that the foot will be knit at more nearly a right angle to the leg than is ordinarily done, and my present improvement utilizes features contained in my, application first above named, and in the Bedard application. certain modifications of said featitres being necessary and changes in their functions taking place in combining in the one n1achine these mechanisms for carrying out the object of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a diagrammatioview of a stocking made on the machine. Fig. 2 is a front view-of a knitting head embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is an end view of a part of the knitting head of Fig. 2, looking from the left of Fig. 2. Fig. (l is a plan view of the machine in the nature of a diagram. is a. diagram of the needle cams developed. The invention is shown in connection with the general type of machine known as the Banner, made under the Letters Patent of the United States issued to Hemphill so #933,443 of September 17, 1909, though it .1 will be understood that the invention might be applied to other makes of machines, and

I do not limit iiiyself in this respect.

The needles cams include two stitch cams 55 1, 2, the cam l'being in use when the ma- Specification of Letters Patent. I

:are moving in the arrow direction Figfli,

Patented Dec. 19, 1916. Renewed mi... 14, 1916. Serial No. 125,701.

chine is on round knitting andgthe needles the needles beingelevated ,to .take the yarn by passing over thestitch cam 2d On reciprocating knitting for heel and toe work first one stitch cam and then theot her acts to draw the needles down, as in ordinary n'actice, for forming the stitches according to the direction in which the needle cylinder is rotating. y

The instep lowering cam 3 performs its usual function of lowering the needles'to normal plane after narrowing and Widen' has been accomplished. This cam isrnov vertically by mechanism, hereinafter re ferred to, of ordinary form. With this cam is combined an instep needle raising earn 4, which is adjustable independently of the lowering cam 3, the said instep cam preferal; bkhig pivotally mounted at 5. It is shown in its low position in Fig. 5.

At (3 is shown a fixed cam for raising the needles which have been partially raised by the switcher instep cam el, this cam being arranged above the normal path 7 for the needle butts.

In addition to the needle cams mentioned a supplemental needle raising cam is employed at S, operated as hereinafter will be described. This cam 8 is on the outside of the cam ring The narrowing picks are indicated at 10 and the widening picks at 11.

The needles are divided i ".0 three in, respect to their lengths of'hptts, namely, short butt needles a, medilit'hj length hiltt needles 6, b, and longer butt needles =0. These longest butt'needles. 0. however, are shorter than the long butt needles ordinarily employed, for instance in the regular Banner or like type of stocking knitting inachine, and they a e of a length to reach but slightly beyond t eedge of the cam ring 9 where inns-is of"trsnat th iekdess... as indicated at 12. The length of}, these butt"-,is*=- such that picking can be doneiuon them for narrowing and wideningnan they are preferably about equal or but slightly longer than the wort butt needles of the Harmer." machine upon which picking is done. These longerbutt needles 0 are the inste needles and they occupy one half of the nee 1e circle, as shown in Fig. 4." The otheryhalf circle of needles is made up of the shortest butt needles a, (which, as a series, are arranged It is set to make the diagonal gore.

diametrically opposite the series of. Ion butt needles 0) and the medium butt nee es 5. These medium butt needles are divided into two columns I), b, Fig. 4, one of said columns lying at one end of the column of shortest butt needles and the other at the other. end of the said short butt needles.

In round knitting for the leg or foot the needle cams are in the position shown in Fig. 5,the needles passing in the arrow direction and their butts passing along the normal plane 7, being advanced to take yarn by riding over theoam 2,and bein retracted to form the stitch by the cam 1. ow when the gore is to be formed preceding the'beel pouch'and of the diagonal character indicnted by the line w:r" Fig. 1, all the needles are raised to inoperative position to pass over both stitch cams and the guard cam 2, excepting the shortest butt needles a, and for this purpose the cam 8 is elevated by connections hereinafter described. This cam, as shown in Fig. 4, sets in far enough to engage and lift both the medium butt needles, b, b, andthe longest butt needles 0. The cam is shown down in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, andin fact all the figures represent the machine in the position at the end'of-the leg and foot beplre 1s cam having raised all the needles excepting the shortest butt needles 11, immediately falls to normal position. At the same time the cam 8 is raised to raise the needles, as just described, the lowering cam 3 is also raised and remains in its elevated position to avoid loweringany of the needles which have been raised to inoperative position. The machine now goes on to reciprocating work. The needles a, which remain down knit at the back of the stocking, and on each stroke the widening picks pick down two of the elevated needles, these being the medium length of butts, and one-of these is picked up by the narrowing picks as in ordinary practice, and the fabric is gradually widened from the upper. point a: to the lower points in Fig. 1. Then the diagonal gore isycm'npleted by widening to the lower point of the widening picks are lowered out of gp eifaition and the narrowing picks continui g'f'etheir icking' action the fabric will be narrowed rom m to y for the regular heel pocket as in ordinary practice, after which the widening picks are brought-,intoaction again and the fabricis' widened from y to m, as in usual that picking can be done upon them, contrary to usual practice, and thus widening can be continued from a? to 2, Fig. 1, thus pi'oducing what is known to the trade as the .irner foot. During all the above actions the instep cam 4 has remained in its low position, this cam contrary to usual practice eing controlled independently of the lowering cam 3, the necessity for which will be clear when it is borne in mind that us picking is done on the longest butt needles, and as this cam is intended to act upon the longest butt needles it must be kept down out of operation, otherwise 2'. e. ifitoccupied its upper position, it would immediately raise any long butt needle which had been picked down for widening. This cam therefore, re mains lowered during all the above described actions.- After the additional widenings have been thrown in up to the oint 2, the machine goes on round knitting or the foot. The lowering cum 3 is depressed and all ele vated needles are thereby returned to normal plane 7.

Now when the too is to be formed only the instep needles 0, (longest butts) are tobe elevated to inoperative osition, and then knitting goes on upon tie heel and toe,..or sole needlesa, b, b, With the usual narrowing and Widenings. The supplemental needle raising cam 8 can not be used for elevating the needles which are to be inoperative in making the toe, because only the instep needles must be raised to inoperative position, whereas the said cam 8 would elevate both the longest butt or instep needles and also the medium butt or heel and toe needles, therefore this cam 8 remains idle during the formation of the toe and in fact at all times excepting when it raises the long or medium butt needles for the high splice as above described.

For raising the long butt instep needles in making the toe, the switch cum l is used, this being swung up from the position shown in Fig. 5, at the same time the lower ing cam 3 is elevated. The instep needles are raisedby passing over this cum and are thus rendered inoperative, and the nurrow- 7 ing picks will now pick up or raise the medium butt needles, as In ordinary practice, for narrowing at the :oe pocket, and then the widening picks, us in ordinary practice,

practice f wh l ock t, Th int m n round knitting] The cum 4, when ithus so that pic in is now continuedon the elevnted longest utt needles c, which, as above stn ted are the inste needles, These needles, as above described. :iebutts of such length elevated the instep needles returns to its low position.

The lowering cum 3 is mounted ouahlockl3, guided in a post or bracket 14 supported on the plate H, similar to that in the ileumhill Patent 933,443, September-'7, 1909, and this block is moved vertically by a bellcrank lever 15,, connected by u linklG with the clutch lever b of the Hemphill patent,

which is shifted by the pttern mechanism to change the drive from mud and round to reciprocating, this conn tion being well known I machi e; The instep cam 4may be of various citrus and operated in\ various Ways, but i the particular constru tipn shown it is mo n'ted on a shaft 5, journ led in a hear: ing on the post 14, and this agt ated by arnarm 17 link 18, lever l and link 20, from cam lever 21, pivotally mounted at 22 on the machineframe, said cam lever being operated by a cam 23 on the pattern drum shaft 8 of the Hemphill patent. This needle cam being shown down out of work, in the dilawings, the lever 21v is resting on the low pm of the cam 23, and it rests in this posit 'tgnduring most of the revolution of the ca 23, being raised to elevate the needle cam 4 and raise the instep needles to inoperative position only when the high part 24 comestbeneath it. The supplemental needle raising earn 8 is guided in a box 25 fixed to the outer side of the cam or spacing ring 9 and it is raised 11 'Ifa pin26 passing throug a vertical slot fin the box" and engaged by a lever 28 pivoted at ,29 to the xed bracket 30, the said lever being operated by a link 31, lever 32,;pivoted at 33, a link and a cam lever 35,, which pivoted at 22, and actedon by a; cam 36. 3 In Fig. 3 the exam lever is shown as restin" on. the high p art of the cam and consequ ntly thd supplemental nee-f dleraising cam 8 is down out ofioperation. When the lever fallsi into thespace 37 and on to the low partlat this point, the said cam 8 will he raised. Springs 38 and 39% act upon the lovers 21;and 35. I

The widening picks, as usual, are under tension of springs; one of which is indicated ,at 40. These tend to swing the lpicks up- Wardly at an inclination, their axes ,being inclined. The picks are, pressed down out troller 41, having arms ,overiying the pick stems, said controller being fixed o a block 2, guided vertically in "fpost 43 upported on the base of the knitting head. his block is fixed to a vertically movable 4A, the

lower on of which rests, 'on qt ilever 45,

pivoted to the bracket 46 at 47 and having antarm 48 to which a link 49 is connected, the

lower end of said link being connected to a lever 50 resting on a cam 51 fined to the shaft 8. i This cam is substantially of usual construction. ,It has, however, a lock d; inserted to extend, the high part o to,hold the widening picks up r mation of the diagonalgore by de as above described. ln'usual meim the ock is not present in the cam and the would those familiar w th the Banner is operof tpperative, or elevated-position by a; con- ,th thisf eamwas 0 the for:

'- fall. into the space atj Minerrowing at thevheel. "this ratchet that moves this cam drum by the addition of a half tooth in the ratchet, which com ensates for this difference in the width of t e space a. This cam 51, as usual, has the low part 6, into which the cain lever 50 falls, for the heel narrowin s, the high part f for the heel widening, ,t 1e space for round knitting on thefoot, the high part it which is skipped, the low part i for toe narrowing, the high part it for toe widening, and the high part it for the leg. The cams are shown in the position assumed by them at the lower end of the leg just before the at each end of the column of short butt needles, instep needles having lohger buttsl than the medium buttneedles, a ca rn diorelevating the long butt instep needles and the medium butt heel and toe needles at a point at the back of the stocking precding the formation of the heel pocket, mean fprcontrolling the pick' to widen on; the medium butt needles at sai point to make a diagonal gore extending to the point where gnarrowlng begins for the heel pocket, then iniarrovw ing and widening on said heel and toe needles, and continuing the widening on the longer butt instep needles, a pivotally mounted raising cam for elevating only the longer buttinstep needles, for the formation lot? the toe, a lowerin cam to lower elevated needles, connections or raising said lowering cam independently of the ivotally mounted rais ing cam and means or operating said pivotally mounted cam independently of the raising cam first mentioned, which remains down during the formation of the toe, substantiallyas described. a

2.111 combination in a circular stocking knitti moehine, a needle cylinder, narrowwidenin picks, instep needles havl! 1211,! of a leng h pickin he! and toe needles including a co x Ihort butt needles; and two columns of in him butt nee les, one at each end of the co umn of sho ,butt needles, said. me

dium butt needles having shorter butts than I the instep needles; means for elevating the long hint ihstep p'needles and 'the medium butt heel and toe, needles at a pointin the leg precedin'g theheel pocket, means for controlling the picking to widen on the medium butt needles at said point to make a diagonal ore extending to the point where narrowing iiegins for the heel pocket, then narrowing and widening on the said heel and toe needles, and cont nuing the widening on the longer butt instep needles, substantially as described.

3. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder, narrowing and widening picks, instep needles having butts of a lei'igth to permit picking thereon, heel and toe needles including a column of short butt needles and two colunins of medium butt needles, one at each end of the short butt needles, a lowering cam for the instep and medium butt needles, a raising cam for the long butt instep needles with means for operating it independently of the said lowering cam, and a supple-men tal raising cam for the instep needles and the medium butt heel and toe needles, and means to control the picking to widen for a diagonal gore preceding the heel pocket, narrowing and widening for the heelpoekct and continued widening on the instep needles and to narrow and widen for the usual toe pocket, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder, :1 series of instep needles having hntts of a length to permit picking thereon, a series of heel and toe needles havin two-lengths of butts, a raisin cam for e evating the long and me dinm ntt needles prior to the formation of the heel pocket, pick mechanism with controlling means for widening on the medium butt needles for making a diagonal gore preceding the heel pocket and the narrowings and widenings for the heel pocket and con tinue widening on the instep needles, a cam for raising the instep needles at the toe for the formation ofthe usual toe pocket on the other needles, substantially as described.

In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder, 11 series of instep needles having butts of a length to permit picking thereon, a series of heel and toe needles having two lengths of butts, a raising cam for elevating the longer medium butt needles prior to the formation of the heel pocket, pick mechanism with controlling means for widening on the medium butt needles for making a diagonal gore PM" ceding the heel pocket, and then the earrowings and widenings for the heel pocket and continue widening on the instep needles, a ram for raising the instep needles at the toe for the formation of the usual toe pocket on the other needles, a lowering cam for the needles, said raising cam last mentioned, heing located adjacent the said lowering cam and the said raising cam first mentioned being located adjacent the widening picks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE P. BOSWORTH.

Witnesses EUGENE M. GUNNING, JOHN Lawson. 

